Role Of Environmental Non-governmental Organizations Research Articles

Normative institutional pressures and corporate green development: evidence from a quantile regression approach

ABSTRACT This study explores the often-overlooked role of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) as catalysts for sustainable practices; it unravels the impact of normative institutional pressures (NIPs) on corporate green investment (CGI). By employing the innovative panel quantile regression (PQR) methodology, this research goes beyond conventional approaches to shed light on the non-monotonic association between NIPs and corporate green investment (CGI) among Chinese listed companies (2009 − 2019). Research findings contribute to the literature on institutional forces and corporate environmental sustainability practices. Meanwhile, policymakers may consider developing frameworks that encourage partnerships, knowledge-sharing, and joint initiatives between the corporate sector and ENGOs.

The Influence of Environmental Reporting on Policy Making

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to explore the influence of environmental reporting on policy making.
 Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
 Findings: The findings revealed that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the influence of environmental reporting on policy making. Preliminary empirical review revealed the significant impact that environmental reporting, whether through traditional media or digital platforms, can have on the policy-making process. These studies have shown that the media's framing of environmental issues, its emphasis on urgency and consequences, and its ability to mobilize public opinion can shape the policy agenda, influence decision-makers, and lead to policy changes. Moreover, the role of environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social movements in leveraging media strategies to advocate for policy change cannot be understated. Environmental NGOs strategically use media campaigns to raise awareness, pressure policymakers, and drive environmental policy initiatives.
 Unique Contribution to Theory. Practice and Policy: The Agenda- Setting theory, Diffusion of Innovations theory and the Framing theory may be used to anchor future studies on environmental reporting. Based on the study, the following recommendations emerge: Foster closer collaboration between media and policymakers to enhance communication and understanding, invest in media training programs and establish reporting standards to improve the quality of environmental reporting, promote transparency and accountability in both media reporting and policymaking processes, encourage diverse and inclusive environmental reporting that represents all perspectives and communities, and embrace cross-platform and digital reporting strategies to enhance the reach and impact of environmental journalism in an evolving media landscape.

Containing climate change: The new governmental strategies of catastrophic environments

The only existing plans to arrest dangerous climate change depend on either yet to be invented technologies to keep us below 2°C or on crashing the world economy for decades to come. The political choice appears to be between doing what is scientifically necessary or what is politically realistic; between shifting to an entirely different kind of global socio-economic system or suffering catastrophe. We are thus in a moment of governmental impasse, caught between old and still-emerging political rationalities. Working through the liminal governmental role of environmental non-governmental organisations, this paper explores the shift from governmental regimes centred on biopower to ones that work through the register of geopower, from governing life to governing the conditions of life. Confronted with climate change as an irresolvable problem, what we find emerging are techniques that aim to contain the worst effects of climate change without fundamentally transforming the global economy.

Civil society participation in the Scottish marine planning process and the role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations

Sustainable development principles are based on the fundamental recognition of humans as an integral part of the ecosystem. Participation of civil society should therefore be central to marine planning processes and enabling ecosystem-based management, and development of mechanisms for effective participation is critical. To date, little attention has been given to the role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs) in public participation. In this paper, the results of two workshops, which involved various stakeholders and addressed public participation in marine planning, are reported and discussed in the context of the Scottish marine planning process. ENGOs’ role in communicating complex policies, representing members’ interests and contributing towards participatory governance in marine planning is highlighted. Innovative outreach methods are still required by decision-makers to translate technical information, integrate local knowledge, improve public representation and conserve resources. This could include collaboration with ENGOs to help promote public participation in decision-making processes.

Green Governmentality, Responsibilization, and Resistance: International ENGOs’ Issue Framings of Future Energy Supply and Climate Change Mitigation

The starting point for this paper is the increasing shift towards green governmentality as a particular mode of governance in the Western world, implying a shift from state-centered regulation to market-based mechanisms. In this paper, we are particularly interested in the role of environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) in this form of governance. The central question concerns how international ENGOs’ approaches to energy supply and climate mitigation can be understood as aligned with or dissenting from green governmentality. To approach this issue, we analyze the major energy reports of three international ENGOs – i.e. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and WWF – focusing on their issue framings of future energy supply and climate change mitigation. We conclude that these ENGOs’ issue framings are aligned with green governmentality to varying degrees, involving the economization of environmental issues and the responsibilization and moralization of economic actions. These ENGOs also to varying degrees express opposition or resistance to this mode of governance, for example, by opening up the discussion of various aspects of responsibility, including both remedy and culpability.

The Changing Role of ENGOs in Water Governance: Institutional Entrepreneurs?

The changing role of the state in the last quarter century has been an important contemporary concern for policy makers, scholars, and the public. Equally, there is increasing recognition among governance scholars that nongovernment actors are exerting new kinds of influence over governance systems and contributing in novel ways to governance processes. The role of environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) is particularly pertinent given the continued involvement of ENGOs within collaborative, adaptive, and co-management governance, across several contexts and regions. This paper uses an analytical framework derived from recent studies on institutional entrepreneurs, to examine the skills ENGOs are applying in order to orchestrate change. An empirical case of governance for water in Canada's Lake Simcoe region provides the foundation for the research. Drawing on a mixed methods approach, the research finds that ENGOs in Lake Simcoe have taken on a role as an institutional entrepreneur, and thereby have altered the relationship between governance actors in this setting. A key outcome of their actions is a more dominant, engaged, and influential role for ENGOs in a critical, regional governance system.

Advocating a Larger Role for Environmental Nongovernment Organizations in Developing a Network for Marine Protected Areas in the Southern Ocean

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) adopted a conservation measure for establishing a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in 2011. Since then, a number of proposals have been submitted to the Commission, but their designation has been consistently opposed by some pro-fishing CCAMLR member countries. This article provides an analysis of CCAMLR institutional and decision-making processes in an attempt to explain the obstacles preventing the creation of a network of MPAs. The role of environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) is examined through their track record in Antarctic environmental governance as well as the extent of their participation within the CCAMLR MPA process.

Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations and Russian Environmental Governance: Accountability, Participation and Collaboration

AbstractThis article examines the role of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) in Russia and the impact of tightening governmental accountability measures. Drawing on 18 interviews conducted in 2012–13 with Russian and international ENGOs, the article examines three key governance issues, namely: the collaborative relationship between the state and ENGOs, the impact of accountability measures on ENGO activities, and the relationships between ENGOs themselves. The findings reveal that ENGOs maintain a legitimate and effective role within Russian environmental governance. However, their legitimacy and success is significantly limited and threatened by increasing accountability measures and state actions. The article accordingly identifies a number of recommendations for increasing the likelihood of successful ENGO action in Russian environmental governance, including improving ENGO collaboration with the state and resolving tensions between participation and accountability.

Article 9.2 of the Aarhus Convention and eu Law

One important means for the implementation of the third pillar of the Aarhus Convention into eu law is the provisions on access to justice in the eia Directive (2011/92). The case-law of the cjeu on those provisions has developed rapidly in the last couple of years. This body of cases has given the concept “access to justice in environmental decision-making” a new meaning and improved the understanding of the requirement for judicial protection under eu environmental law. The aim of this article is to highlight this development and discuss a couple of key issues on access to justice. First, the relationship between “direct effect” and the individuals “rights” and the principles of effectiveness and judicial protection according to eu law is analysed. Thereafter, the meaning of “substantive and procedural legality” and the distinction between general and personal interests in relation to individual’s standing are discussed. The next issue concerns the role of environmental non-governmental organisations. Finally, the concept “courts or tribunals” in environmental decision-making procedures is considered.

Environmental NGOs, policy entrepreneurs of market-based instruments for ecosystem services? A comparison of Costa Rica, Madagascar and France

Market based instruments for ecosystem services have become the norm since the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment advanced the concept of “ecosystem services” as an international reference in global governance. In this way, market based instruments for ecosystem services have increasingly been implemented within nation States. In this paper we analyze the role of environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in spreading market based instruments for ecosystem services. We put forward the hypothesis that: when a State cannot adequately defend its political and economic sovereignty to produce its own public policies, then the environmental NGOs are strong policy entrepreneurs, that are able to diffuse standards and policy instruments. When a State is more politically and economically capable, the role of environmental NGOs as policy entrepreneurs is more limited. To test this hypothesis, we analyze the diffusion of market based instruments for ecosystem services in three contrasted countries regarding State and NGOs' respective strength: Costa Rica, Madagascar and France. A comparison and analysis of the dissemination of the market based instruments for ecosystem services in different countries therefore seems highly relevant for analyzing such transfers of international standards and policy instruments.

The role of environmental non-governmental organizations in fisheries: scientific knowledge, its value in lobbying, and its underestimation in debates aimed at solving contingent issues

Despite an initial tendency to disregard Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) contributions, NGOs have now entered the fishery world, where debates should be carried out on the basis of different interpretations of sound scientific data. Such an approach is expected to be obvious, but this does not prove to be always true. NGOs and the research body that produced the scientific data are confused by other stakeholders and understanding scientific publications is regarded as not necessary. Further, there is a gap between the progress of scientific knowledge and the scientific approach adopted in policy resolutions. This opens new opportunities to carry out focused scientific communication.

Institutional Capacity on Water Pollution Control of the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China

This paper analyzes the role of the prevalent formal and informal institutions in Guangzhou in alleviating deteriorating water quality in the Pearl River. In addition to the dominating role of the local government, it examines the influences of other relevant factors such as the role of environmental non-governmental organizations, the media, and the impact of social and cultural norms. It concludes that the current institutional framework is not sufficiently competent to handle water pollution problems and that a multi-dimensional and cross-sectoral approach is necessary for water pollution control in the Pearl River in Guangzhou.

ROLES OF ENGOS IN NITRATE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT: CASE STUDY: THE NETHERLANDS AND FLANDERS, BELGIUM

In developed countries, conflicts between environmental interests and agricultural emissions can not be avoided. Within the legal formal perspective, it is often assumed that all environmental conflicts are solved through the legal-formal system. In reality, however, the conflict between environmental concern and agricultural practices is complicated by wide variety of interests and mere legal formal approaches will not be adequate to solve them. This conflict as it relates to nitrate emissions will be referred to herein as the ‘nitrate conflict’. The role of civil society, in this case the Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs), are often neglected in the nitrate conflict management. This study will document and analyze nitrate con.ict management in the Netherlands and Flanders Belgium, on the roles of ENGOs regarding the issue. Moreover, the research will emphasize the important role of ENGOs in civic engagement in developing democratic and just environmental management.

Remaking Urban Environments: The Political Ecology of Air Pollution in Delhi

In the growing field of urban political ecology, so far not much attention has been paid to air-quality and related policies. In this paper I examine the recent far-reaching air-pollution policies in India's capital, as well as the role of environmental nongovernmental organizations and judicial activism, in view of their implications for different groups of the urban population. I analyze these policies in the wider context of Delhi's ongoing strive for ‘city beautification’ and for changing (environmental) governmentalities, and reveal a marked middle-class bias in the environmental and judicial activisms practised, which also contributes to the refining of the boundary between public and private environments. Furthermore, it is argued that air quality with its complex sociospatial patterns plays a significant part in the coproduction of urban ‘socioenvironments' that needs to be addressed in political-ecological studies.

The Role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations in Natural Resources Management Extension (Case Study in Iran)

This study describes the emergence, development and functions of Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGO) and addresses their role and impact in Natural Resources Management Extension (NRME) in Iran. The study also attempts to describe the collaboration and support of government organizations managing natural resources, mainly National Forest and Pasture Organization (NFPO) and Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) and locally based ENGOs in this country. Quasi-Experimental research method is used in this research. Statistics population used concern committee members of 204 registered ENGO from which 65 ENGOs participated in the call up for research meeting. Questioner used in field research to attained necessary data consisted of 60 questions. The validity coefficency of this questioner (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) was α=92.17. In this research, 18 independent variables and one dependent variable were measured. In reviewing the research results, 100 types and over 2500 ENGO are identified from which close to 9% are registered. The average level of ENGOs relations with NFPO and its effect upon their activities scored at low and very low respectively and they rarely receive expert services from NFPO. Similarly, the impact of ECO upon the activities of ENGOs and relationship between them both were rated at medium level. The overall average rank of ENGOs success in NRME was at medium level which is less than hoped. At the end of this research, few hypotheses dealing with the effect of independent variables upon dependent variable were tested and some recommendations for better use of ENGOs with respect to NRME in Iran are presented.

The role of environmental non-governmental organisations in the environmental impact assessment process in Japan

The enactment of EIA law in Japan in 1999 has been particularly significant for environmental NGOs, and for public participation in EIA. This research used a case study to analyse the activities the environmental NGOs in an EIA for land reclamation on the Awase Tidal Flats, Okinawa City. The NGOs appeared to have well developed technical expertise in gathering reliable data on conservation issues. However, their knowledge of the activities of other NGOs, and their awareness of the procedural steps and timing constraints of the EIA procedure, severely compromised their ability to contribute effectively to the EIA. To improve the involvement of environmental NGOs in EIA, the formation of networks with other local, national and international environmental NGOs can enable more efficient use of scarce human and financial resources and expert knowledge.

Climate Change, Environmental NGOs and Public Awareness 
 in the Netherlands: Perceptions and Reality

The climate change issue has been widely studied. To add to this literature, this paper focuses on the role of environmental non-governmental organisations in the Netherlands in raising public awareness. Besides, their role in relation to the Dutch government's climate policies is researched as well. The findings of this research indicate that, with respect to the climate change issue, environmental NGOs in the Netherlands may not always be active and systematic, as it is generally perceived, in raising public awareness and putting pressure on the Dutch government for implementing the targeted measures at the national level.

Environmental protection in the Apuseni Mountains: The role of Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs)

The Apuseni Mountains constitute one of the most interesting parts of the Carpathians in terms of landscape, biodiversity and culture. Yet dislocations are now severe and there are development threats which also require a significant response. On the one hand there are some severe pollution problems associated with mining areas developed in the communist period which require remedial action and the cases of Rosia Montana and Zlatna are discussed. On the other hand, there are forest and pasture zones – especially the Padis Plateau – which are coming under heavy pressure from farmers seeking to enhance their incomes following the decline of mining and manufacturing which has left many households without salaries. At the same time, tourist pressure is growing. Actions are already being taken to limit pollution damage and develop sustainable landuse practices. There is a national park project linked with nature reserves comprising picturesque landscapes, a rare flora and fauna and distinct geological and palaeotological formations (including fossil ice). There are major tourist attractions and with proper management they could become part of a development programme of the countryside. However it is essential that all stakeholders adopt sustainable practices and this means that official programmes – including the future national park authority administration's work in environment protection and tourism management – are backed up by Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations (ENGOs). The paper reviews their diverse activities and concludes that they are making a very substantial contribution in ensuring that the potentials of isolated regions can be utilised in a manner consistent with nature conservation.

Cross-border conservation in East Central Europe: The Danube-Carpathian complex and the contribution of the World Wide Fund for Nature

Cross-border cooperation in environmental matters has become much more evident since 1989 because open frontiers facilitate contact while common tasks emerge as protected areas in frontier zones lose their isolation. Pollution hazards have been discussed more openly since 1989 while further stimuli arise from the harmonisation process in the run-up to EU enlargement and the finance available from Brussels and other international donors to solve pollution problems and create international ecological networks. The paper examines the progress made in the Danube Valley and the Carpathians which together constitute the core of East Central Europe. Particular attention is paid to the role of environmental non-governmental organisations (ENGOs) – and especially the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) – in the progress of conservation. Along with the World Conservation Union (IUCN), WWF has demonstrated the value of floodplain wetlands and ensured that wetland restoration is an important part of the Strategic Action Plan for the Danube. And by involving local ENGOs in specific projects the role of the non-governmental sector in environment matters is enhanced. Also, with momentum growing for a pan-European ecological network ('Natura 2000'), WWF has attracted the support of international donors for a ecoregion-based conservation (ERBC) in the Carpathians where priority areas have now been identified. Ecological and diplomatic capacities are thus deployed to maximise the scope for biodiversity conservation commensurate with sustainable socio-economic development.

Norms, interests and environment NGOs: The limits of cosmopolitanism

Environmental non‐governmental organisations (ENGOs) play important roles in international politics, appearing to be motivated by a cosmopolitanism which transcends the nation state and presents challenges to international organisations. The role of ENGOs and the norms they advance in the development of international institutions of the environment is subjected to critical scrutiny. Rather than transforming such institutions, ENGOs operate within arenas which are structured by those institutions. Moreover, ENGOs cannot escape the web of national and regional interests. The ENGO with the greatest claim to cosmopolitanism (Greenpeace) on the most global issue (climate change) frequently supports some interests while weakening the claims of others. ENGOs and the norms they stand for can reconstruct interests, but a complete understanding still requires consideration of interests.